


that's right, my type

by alateni



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Hybrid AU, M/M, a little bit of angst in the middle but mostly fluff, i can't write summaries oh dear, jeonghan and jisoo are mentioned, like a lot of fluff, platonic junhao, please, someone write my summaries for me, this fic is not as serious as the summary implies, why cant i write anything other than fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:24:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9691331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alateni/pseuds/alateni
Summary: Sometimes, Minghao has come to realize, those things which you so desperately wish for might not be as unattainable as you first thought.Alternatively: Minghao is searching, Mingyu is regretting, Wonwoo is guilty, and Junhui is tired.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired somewhat from Red Velvet's Rookie but can also be used in reference to EXO's Monster lol.
> 
> Inspired by this [video](http://www.popsugar.com/pets/Kitten-Escapes-Cage-Play-Puppy-Video-41798434).

Sniffing the air, Minghao’s ears perk up when he hears the lock on the door turn. Raising his head from above the nest of blankets he had surrounded himself with, the cat hybrid pauses the drama he was watching and debates whether he should greet his owner or not. Leaning back to a proper sitting position, Minghao waits a couple more moments – until the door fully opens and he hears light footsteps.

Slipping off the bed, Minghao throws the pillow that had fallen to the floor a couple episodes back onto the bed before slinking off to see if Junhui had brought him any food. Sniffing the air again, Minghao frowns when he smells nothing new, but opens the door to his bedroom and walks into the hallway nonetheless. Stepping around the pile of mail on the floor (Minghao was in charge of checking the mailbox downstairs every day – but that didn’t mean he sorted it), Minghao pads silently into the kitchen to see Junhui getting a drink of water.

The human finishes the whole glass before setting it on the table. Turning to spot Minghao, the male grins easily, and Minghao is hit once again with the weird notion that Junhui wasn’t surprised to see him. It was odd, Junhui was a human, and even though Minghao employed all of his silent, stalking techniques, the other male was never shocked to see him randomly appear out of thin air. It was almost infuriating – one of Minghao’s best defense mechanisms was the fact that he was so lithe and quiet. It helped him sneak up or run away from people, but Junhui’s odd sixth sense (as he called it) stopped Minghao from being able to play any tricks on his owner. A shame, for sure, but in hindsight, it was probably a reason as to why Junhui and Minghao had gotten so close in such a short amount of time.

“Don’t I get a welcome home?” Junhui asks, tilting his head to the side when Minghao merely continues staring at him. Approaching the kitchen counter, Minghao jumps up neatly, crossing his legs and folding his black tail neatly behind him. Ignoring the annoyed look on Junhui’s face, Minghao sniffs the air again disappointedly.

“Don’t I get food?” Minghao replies, pouting slightly.

“Didn’t I say not to sit on things that aren’t meant to be sat on?” Junhui quirks an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the tabletop.

“Didn’t I say that ‘things that aren’t meant to be sat on’ is very subjective?” Minghao shoots back. Junhui frowns at that, and the two males hold a staring match for a couple of minutes before Junhui reaches down and throws something in Minghao’s general direction.

Practically falling off the table, Minghao only manages to catch the package due to his quick reflexes. Stabilizing himself with his tail, Minghao purrs happily when he looks down at the box of fried chicken. Opening it quickly, Minghao’s ears twitch in confusion when he still can’t smell the telltale scent of chicken.

“Why can’t I smell anything?” Minghao’s eyebrows furrow, opening the box to make sure that the chicken was actually there. Picking up a drumstick, Minghao leans in and practically presses his nose against it, finally smelling the food’s aroma, but still looks at Junhui in confusion.

“This,” Junhui says in lieu of an explanation, pulling up a small bottle of what looked to be perfume. Leaning closer, Minghao frowns when he realizes what was in Junhui’s hands.

“Why,” Minghao states, not even bothering to phrase the word as a question.

“I thought it would be fun to test it out,” Junhui tosses the perfume bottle into the air and caught it gracefully. “My co-worker was telling me about how these things don’t always work, it’s hard to make things scentless after all, but I read an article about how this particular brand was making headway on the whole venture so I decided to invest a little and buy it.”

“You’re too rich for your own good,” Minghao huffs, before bringing the chicken up to his lips. “You have nothing better to do than spend your money on meaningless things. What are you going to use that for now anyways?”

“I don’t know,” Junhui shrugs. “I can spray it on myself so you can’t smell me coming?”

“I would still be able to hear you,” Minghao points out, licking his lips. “And you breathe really loudly – even when you’re trying to be quiet.”

“I’ll find something else that’ll mask that then,” Junhui shrugs before placing the bottle back on the table. Stretching, the human yawns before tiredly walking over to his own room. Without a word, Minghao watches as he enters the washroom – no doubt to clean up – before finishing the rest of the chicken. Placing the box in the sink, Minghao wanders around the large apartment before settling down next to the ceiling-to-floor windows that spanned across one of the walls, giving the inhabitants of the place a panoramic view of the city below.

Junhui lived, not in an apartment, but in a penthouse. It was located on the top floor of an extremely overpriced building, and the boy never seemed to lack money in order to pursue whatever his desires were. Minghao thought it was a bit excessive, seeing as Junhui brought back random little trinkets and gadgets before growing tired of them within days – sometimes hours – but if there was one thing Junhui never gave up, it was him. And for that, Minghao was grateful. Ever since Junhui had picked him up from the hybrid adoption center, Minghao had been living the life.

Everything he could ever ask for was within his reach, he merely had to reach out and use his bank account – which was connected to Junhui’s – to buy whatever he wanted. Food was no concern, seeing as Junhui’s parents ran a huge fashion business (with Junhui being one of their top models and designers), and Minghao had never heard anything about their rent or utility bill being late – something that was definitely new to the previously homeless hybrid. It was nice, Minghao ponders as he pokes the glass lightly, to not have to worry about anything.

Junhui was nice too. A bit spoiled, but he was responsible and mature in his own right – though the elder liked to act a lot more childish around Minghao. Junhui had adopted Minghao because he was feeling homesick. The human decided, upon impulse, to purchase a Chinese hybrid in order to keep him company and to remind him of home. It was only when he found Minghao, curled up on himself and hissing at anyone who came closer, that he realized just _what_ he was getting into. One look at the hunched Chinese male though, convinced Junhui that he could deal with it. And so Minghao, scenting Junhui’s intentions, decided to do something he usually never did and trust a stranger.

And Minghao doesn’t regret the decision. Sure, he missed the kind helpers and the other hybrids he had grown up with and gotten to know back at the centre, but Junhui was another kind of comfort. He was almost like an older brother – from the way he mentored and instructed Minghao about things ranging from schooling to daily affairs – and Minghao knew Junhui felt the same way. He had asked the human about it once, when Junhui had a bit too much to drink, and the older boy had admitted that Minghao grounded him. It was too easy, Junhui slurred, to be caught up in the clouds and lose sense of what was important when you had so much money. So Minghao provided a sense of security. Whenever Junhui was about to fall off the edge into ‘money-madness’ (as he called it), he remembered that he still had Minghao to take care of.

Minghao didn’t fancy being considered a damsel in distress or someone that needed taking care of, but he appreciated the sentiment behind Junhui’s thought so he allowed it. The two supported each other, and Minghao’s life was definitely better than it was before, but something was missing. Something very important to Minghao, something that was so precious to the cat hybrid that he couldn’t even tell Junhui about it.

Shaking his head in an attempt to avoid remembering, Minghao draws light patterns across the window until Junhui exits his room, freshly washed and dressed in comfy clothes. The older human settles beside Minghao, and the two stare out into the night skyline in silence. Minghao isn’t sure how long they stay there, but he grows increasingly aware of the fact that Junhui was beginning to nod off to sleep – no doubt tired from the flight back from Japan (where the human had been promoting his parent’s company). Getting up, Minghao manages to get Junhui on his back. Walking over to Junhui’s room – the skinny hybrid was a lot stronger than he looked – Minghao deposits Junhui on his bed gently and tucks the human in before slinking into his own room.

Right as he was about to enter the bedroom, Minghao pauses. Moving away from his room to the doorway, Minghao’s ears flick in interest when he notices that Junhui had forgotten to lock the door. While his owner let Minghao have a certain amount of freedom, he did keep the hybrid inside the penthouse whenever he was away on a trip. The world wasn’t exactly safe for hybrids after all, so while Minghao could roam the penthouse all he wanted (which he normally did, considering it contained a pool, athletic centre, and its own underground shopping mall), Junhui didn’t particularly like him going out alone. And so, the human usually locked the doors and windows with a code only he knew. This time however, it looked like, in his tired state, he had forgotten.

Moving closer, Minghao’s ears lie flat against his head as the silver haired boy debates whether he should leave or not. He bites his lip in thought, leaning towards staying as he didn’t want to betray Junhui’s trust – the human had done nothing but good for him after all. Just as Minghao was about to close the door and get back into bed (maybe finish that drama he was watching, it’s not like he had any plans tomorrow), a certain smell causes him to perk up. Stepping closer, Minghao sniffs the doorway before jolting up. It was there, faint, and slightly different, but it was _him_.

Without another thought, Minghao slips through the door before inhaling again. The scent wasn’t coming from their suite, it was a bit farther than that. Following the aroma, Minghao finally stops in front of their neighbour’s (although that was a bit of a stretch, seeing as Junhui owned the entire top floor to himself) house. Minghao had trailed the scent down the stairs and realized it was a lot stronger down here. Wondering why he hadn’t managed to smell it before – and how the hell the aroma had managed to travel so far – Minghao peeks up at the room number of the door with the strongest scent. 1004.

Sniffing the doorframe once again, Minghao jolts backwards when he hears something from the other side of the door. Realizing that someone was about to open the door, Minghao scrambles backwards, into the stairwell, and peeks down to see another hybrid open the door. Squinting, Minghao sighs in disappointment when he doesn’t recognize the other’s smell. However, his discontent is soon turned into fear when he realizes the other hybrid was sniffing the air – no doubt tracking his _own_ scent.

Bolting back up the stairs, Minghao silently slips back into his suite. Biting his lip as he tries to think, Minghao is hit with the sudden fear that the hybrid would come up and knock – no doubt to ask what Minghao had been doing. And Minghao didn’t know if he could explain himself, even less so if Junhui was awoken, so the cat hybrid decides to figure out how to stop the interaction from occurring as fast as possible. Walking around the penthouse in a panic, Minghao casts his gaze around wildly before his eyes land on the kitchen counter.

Practically meowling in delight, Minghao rushes towards the tabletop, grabbing the scentless perfume bottle that Junhui had left out, before running back to the front door. Catching his breath and listening carefully, Minghao guesses that the other hybrid had not made their way upstairs yet – for whatever reason. Maybe they had decided that chasing after Minghao was too much work – it was bordering on 2 AM after all – but Minghao wasn’t going to take any chances. Stepping into the hallway, Minghao walks up until the stairwell and begins to spray the perfume. Continuing to do so until he reached their own doorway, Minghao sprays it all over before smelling the air.

There was barely a scent in the hallway, and Minghao sighs in relief. It would be a bit suspicious, seeing as places _always_ smelt of at least _something_ , but there would be nothing tying Minghao to the scent. At least, not immediately. He doubted the other hybrid would care enough to continue searching after failing to find the direct source after all. Looking down at the perfume bottle, Minghao winces when he realizes he had used at least half of the precious liquid.

About to return home, Minghao stops right in front of the door. He had still not found out why _that_ scent was littered around apartment 1004. The only thing that had stopped him was the fear of being caught, and that could be avoided, as long as Minghao used the bottle in his hand. Raising it up, the hybrid experimentally sprays his hand. Shivering from the cool liquid, Minghao sniffs the limb. Frowning at the odd scent of… nothing, Minghao continues to spray his entire body until he successfully removed his aroma.

By then, the bottle was pretty much empty. Minghao whispers an apology to Junhui before setting the bottle on the floor – behind one of the potted plants that decorated the hallway – and walking down the stairs. Carefully listening as he went, Minghao made sure to walk silently and keep his breathing as quiet as possible. There wasn’t really a big chance of being caught, seeing as Minghao was still in the penthouse and could just say he was feeling antsy, but for some reason, Minghao felt as if Junhui wouldn’t believe him.

Continuing his soundless journey downwards, Minghao makes his way out of the penthouse building and looks up at the stars. Breathing in the fresh air from outside, Minghao’s nose twitches from the various different smells and sounds of the city’s night life. Taking a deep breath, Minghao walks around the building, sure that he had tracked the scent from 1004 outside successfully, and lets out a quiet ‘aha!’ when he finds the trail again. Following the scent, Minghao passes various shops, restaurants, and business – all closed down due to the late hour.

He enjoys his walk, despite the growing excitement inside him, and sighs peacefully as he twirls around the streets. Junhui took him out a lot whenever he wasn’t busy and actually _in_ Korea, but they never got to go around freely. For one, a lot of people recognized Junhui, especially now that he was dabbling in acting. Maybe though, Minghao looks around the deserted street, they’d be able to go on midnight walks if Junhui wasn’t feeling too tired.

Continuing through the winding streets, Minghao stops in front of an apartment. The scent was extremely prominent here, and Minghao was almost certain that it led inside. The apartment itself was what stopped him however. Though the neighbourhood wasn’t far at all from Minghao’s own house (or well, Junhui’s) they were completely opposite of one another. While Junhui’s penthouse was sleek and clean, this apartment complex and those surrounding it was made of brick and wood – holding to it a very antique aesthetic that Minghao was fairly certain wasn’t just for show. There was only a rickety gate in front of the doorways, while Minghao had to pass through almost three security guards in order to get home.

The apartment wasn’t in a shady part of town per say, but it was definitely not what Minghao had expected. But what was he expecting? For everyone to be as fortunate as he was? No, Minghao knew his case was a very special one indeed, but Minghao thought that _he_ would have deserved better than this. Biting his lip in anxiousness, Minghao lingers around the front of the building a bit longer. The precious excitement that had come with him being able to track down the scent was replaced with foreboding. It had been quite some time, Minghao fidgets with the overly large hoodie he was wearing, since Minghao had been adopted. And he hadn’t really gone back to the centre – the shelter held too many bad memories for him – since.

Frowning, Minghao debates just going home. It was already almost 3 AM, and Junhui would be furious if he found out. But Minghao had come all this way, it would almost be a waste if he didn’t continue. Taking a deep breath in order to gather what little courage Minghao had, the lithe hybrid jumps over the fence and circles the building. He isn’t sure how secure it was, but even if there wasn’t a security guard at the front, anyone awake at this hour would be suspicious of him for sure. In fact, how did Minghao even know that _he_ would be awake? Shaking his head to free himself from the doubts that clung to him like honey, Minghao scouts around the building.

Almost arriving back at his starting point, Minghao stops in his tracks as he smells something. Looking upwards, he spies one window, a couple of stories up, open. The scent was definitely coming from there, probably lifted down by a draft of some sort. Licking his lips as Minghao focuses on thinking about how to get up there rather than whether his presence would even be welcomed, the cat hybrid finishes planning his route before taking a few steps back. Running forwards, Minghao launches himself upwards, catching on to a windowsill on the second story – hybrids had enhanced abilities after all.

Dragging himself up, Minghao hopes he was quiet enough to not alert anyone before continuing his ascent. Using the different windowsills and balconies to aid him, Minghao manages to get to the open window. Catching his breath, the cat hybrid leans down and peers into the apartment through the window. Everything was dark, but the moonlight streaming in from above was enough to let Minghao see.

The apartment was cluttered and lived in – a stark contrast to the clean and spotless penthouse Minghao lived in. The couch near the corner of the room had definitely seen better days, and there were various spills and stains on the carpet. The wallpaper, from what Minghao could see, was torn in a couple of places, but he didn’t smell or see any signs of mold. In short, the apartment was very _normal_. Not exceptionally fancy, but not poorly maintained either. Biting his lip as he tries to make heads or tails of the situation, Minghao fails to notice the approaching figure before it’s too late.

“MINGHAO!” the dog hybrid barks happily and _loudly_. Minghao practically falls off the windowsill as the shape slams into the wall below the window. Struggling to maintain his balance, Minghao just barely hangs onto the wall before the other hybrid is reaching his hands through the window – which was really only allowed to be opened halfway anyways – in an attempt to touch, grab (who _knows_ ) him.

“Mingyu, _stop_ ,” Minghao finally stresses, as Mingyu’s arm almost knocks him off the railing again. “You’re doing more harm then good – I’m going to fall off if you don’t stop.” Pouting at that, Mingyu calms down slightly, retracting his arms, and sitting down on the ground as Minghao readjusts himself. “You practically knocked me off with your clumsy limbs.”

“I was excited!” Mingyu pouts. “And just trying to help.”

“Sure,” Minghao replies, before looking up at the window. “Do you think,” Minghao pauses, suddenly nervous. He didn’t have a reason to be – seeing as how welcoming and excited Mingyu was to see him – but he couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t wanted. “Never mind,” Minghao says instead, sighing, before massaging his lower back muscles absentmindedly.

“Are you hurt?” Mingyu leans forwards, nose pressing against Minghao’s within seconds as the dog hybrid peers up at Minghao in concern.

“No,” Minghao says, leaning back as Mingyu continues to come closer. “I’m just a bit sore from climbing.”

“You _climbed_ up here?” Mingyu’s eyes widen. “This is like the fourth floor!”

“How else would I be on the windowsill?” Minghao rolls his eyes at Mingyu’s childishness. “It also kind of hurts trying to balance myself on this narrow ledge.”

“Come in then,” Mingyu says easily, and Minghao blinks owlishly at the offer.

“N-no! I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Minghao shakes his head fervently, still anxious about seeing Mingyu after such a long time.

“Minghao,” Mingyu’s tone deepens and a serious expression takes over his face. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, or _how_ you found me, but I haven’t seen you in _so_ long. There’s no way I’m letting you sit on the windowsill.” Without another word, Mingyu gets up, fiddling with the window, before pushing it all the way up and dragging Minghao inside.

“I thought that it was locked?” Minghao says after he stumbles through the window. Mingyu immediately pulls Minghao towards the couch, settling down and placing the cat hybrid in his lap. “I mean, isn’t that a safety hazard or something?”

“It was broken a long time ago,” Mingyu replies offhandedly. “Don’t worry about it.” Frowning at the statement, Minghao opens his mouth to say something along the lines of ‘if the _window_ was broken, what else was?’ but is cut off by Mingyu leaning forward to press their noses together once again. Rumbling with happiness, Mingyu runs his fingers through Minghao’s hair, taking care to scratch at the spot behind Minghao’s ear – causing the cat hybrid to purr. Forgetting his worries about Mingyu not wanting to see him in an instant, Minghao curls his tail around Mingyu’s waist and the two fall into their familiar routine of cuddling into each other.

“Minghao,” Mingyu whispers a while later. Minghao isn’t sure how long they sat on the couch, but he was pretty sure he had fallen asleep – seeing as the slightest bits of sunlight was coming in from the window and he didn’t remember seeing the sun rise. Shaking the sleepiness out of his eyes, Minghao snuggles his head into Mingyu’s neck, breathing in his comforting scent while nodding in response to Mingyu’s call.

“Why don’t you smell like anything?” Minghao jolts up at the question, ears laying flat against his head at the question. Mingyu’s eyes narrow at the reaction, and before Minghao can say anything he feels the dog hybrid tense considerably.

“Are you being hurt? I heard you got adopted by someone – are they abusing you?” Mingyu growls lowly. “Is that why you’re here? Are you running away? Minghao I swear if I find them–”

“Mingyu, I’m fine,” Minghao assures him, running his tail up and down Mingyu’s side in an attempt to placate the other male. “I just, I smelt you outside of my apartment and decided to come find you.” Ducking his head to avoid the questioning look in Mingyu’s eyes, Minghao curls into the other’s chest in embarrassment. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too Hao,” Mingyu breathes, ruffling Minghao’s hair affectionately. He runs his hands up and down the cat hybrid’s back, pressing against the knots and sore areas of Minghao’s shoulders and muscles, and slowly massaging the shorter boy until he melts into Mingyu’s figure.

“My owner,” Minghao speaks up again a little later. The sunlight was definitely streaming in through the window now, and Minghao could only wonder whether Junhui would be able to sleep in or not. Though he had a week off after his flight, he was called back into work more often than not on his vacation days. “Bought some perfume.”

“Hm?” Mingyu hums, and Minghao can hear the vibrations from his voice resonate through his chest.

“The scentless kind,” Minghao elaborates. “The one that removes someone’s scent. I used it.”

“But why?” Mingyu presses.

“I didn’t want him to know I left,” Minghao responds. “Wait,” Minghao warns, tail waving in the air when he feels Mingyu tense at his words. “Not because he’s abusive or obsessive. I didn’t want him to worry and, I don’t know.” Minghao’s tail falls onto the couch. “I don’t think I would be able to explain myself.”

“What’s there to explain?” Mingyu asks, bringing Minghao’s face up and out of his chest to look into the other’s eyes. “Our relationship is special, he’ll understand it. And if he doesn’t, he’s not a good owner.”

“How about you then?” Minghao’s eyes narrow. “Have you told your o-owner?”

“No,” Mingyu replies, pressing a soft kiss onto Minghao’s temple when he hears the slight, awkward stutter. “I haven’t had the time.”

“So I’m not worth your time?” Minghao teases, moving away from Mingyu’s affectionate pecks.

“That’s not what I mean!” Mingyu whines, shaking slightly and causing Minghao to laugh.

“How is your,” Minghao starts, before stopping. He didn’t mind referring to Junhui as his owner, but the thought that Mingyu was now someone else’s – though pets and owners didn’t always have a romantic relationship – didn’t sit well with Minghao.

“He’s fine,” Mingyu passes over Minghao’s pause easily. The two connected well after all, what one was thinking the other could pick up on without even trying – so Mingyu was very aware of Minghao’s dislike of Mingyu’s owner despite never having met the man. “His name is Jeon Wonwoo, he’s a year older than us.”

“My owner is older than us too,” Minghao replies. “Wen Junhui.”

“Ah,” Mingyu says. “Is he more handsome than me?”

“He’s a model,” Minghao replies cheekily, ignoring the hurt look that passes through Mingyu’s face.

“I could be a model if I tried,” Mingyu pouts, and Minghao laughs gently at the sight.

“I’m sure you could,” Minghao comforts the other hybrid. He looks around the room, trying to find a clock, and almost chokes when he realizes it was bordering 7 AM. “When does this Wonwoo ssi wake up?” Minghao asks, preparing to get up.

“Soon,” Mingyu says, though not nearly as panicked as Minghao. Grabbing onto Minghao’s sleeve to stop the other one from fleeing, Mingyu stands up and hugs Minghao from behind. “He has an appointment to get to today, but he’ll be gone at 9. You can stay in my room until then.”

“Are you sure?” Minghao bites his lip, nervous about sneaking around. He was one hundred percent going to be in trouble when he got home, but he didn’t want Mingyu getting in trouble because of him either. “I can just come back another time – if Junhui hyung lets me after this.”

“No,” Mingyu shakes his head firmly. “I haven’t seen you in so long, I missed you. I’m not letting you go without spending a bit more time with you.”

“You’re hopeless,” Minghao rolls his eyes. Mingyu had never liked to follow the rules after all. He was always doing what he thought was right – taking the side of the underdog, ignoring the warnings of others – Mingyu was a righteous rebel through and through.

“That’s why you exist, to be my hope,” Mingyu says cheerily, causing Minghao to gag jokingly. The cat hybrid ends up following Mingyu into his room anyways however, and settles into his blankets as Mingyu throws things around, citing the messy room to Wonwoo because Mingyu _always_ kept his surroundings clean.

“Are you sure he’s not going to come in and find me?” Minghao asks once again, ears laying flat against his head in anxiousness.

“I’ll distract him outside,” Mingyu nods. “In the meantime, get some sleep, you look tired.”

“Wow thanks,” Minghao says dryly even while slipping under the covers. “Good to know I look like shit.”

“You always look wonderful,” Mingyu states, staring confidently at Minghao, and if it had been anyone else, Minghao wouldn’t have taken them seriously. But Mingyu was sincere, the dog hybrid couldn’t tell a lie to save his life (Minghao was slightly concerned about how Mingyu wasn’t going to let his presence in the apartment spill to Wonwoo), so Minghao merely flushed and dove under the blankets.

“Good night,” Minghao mumbles as he hears Mingyu leave the room.

“Night,” Mingyu replies and Minghao falls asleep to the sound of someone in the other bedroom grunting and creaking out of bed.

 

 

 

“–and then,” Mingyu smiles as Minghao barely conceals his laughter. They’re currently perched on Mingyu’s bed, facing each other, and talking about whatever came to mind. Minghao wasn’t even sure what time it was anymore, Wonwoo had left the house soon after he woke up, and though Minghao had fallen asleep, the cat hybrid was rudely awakened by Mingyu an hour or so later. Ever since then, they’d been catching up, kind of. Well, they did go over some of the more important details, the basic, ‘how have you been?’ type questions, but Minghao and Mingyu had soon gone off track, talking about things ranging from why Mingyu’s socks were different colours to what kind of dramas Minghao had been watching lately.

“Then I dropped the milkshake on Wonwoo’s new shirt,” Mingyu continues after Minghao had somewhat calmed down. “It splattered _everywhere_. He was wearing white shoes too,” Mingyu says wistfully, and Minghao lost it. Bursting out into laughter and rolling around the bed, Mingyu grins at how happy Minghao looked before the dog hybrid pounces on the other. They wrestle a little, though Minghao was mostly just flailing around the bed, before ending up laying side by side.

“You’re too clumsy,” Minghao mumbles, chest heaving as he tried to calm his heartbeat. Mingyu shrugs, hands reaching over to grab Minghao’s tail. The cat hybrid whimpers slightly as Mingyu’s hands comb down the tail. It wasn’t like it hurt, it was more like the tail for cat hybrids were a bit of a sensitive area. They were more finely tuned, meaning Minghao could easily feel the changes in air pressure just by waving his tail, but that also meant it was more delicate. With every brush of Mingyu’s hands, Minghao shivered with contentment – the other hybrid always knew exactly how to massage the fur to calm Minghao down.

“Hey Gyu?” Minghao asks, eyelids drooping downwards despite the nap he had taken before. Mingyu yawns as well, hand still absentmindedly running through Minghao’s tail fur, but the dog hybrid grunts in response anyways. Stifling a giggle at the sound, Minghao shift slightly, nuzzling his face closer to Mingyu’s neck, and taking a deep breath. Inhaling Mingyu’s scent, Minghao practically buzzes with pleasure. There was something about his smell – Minghao thinks it probably has something to do with the fact that Mingyu and him had been relying on each other ever since they were very small – that made Minghao feel at home. Junhui’s penthouse was amazing, sure, and this apartment that Mingyu lived in was probably pretty homey, but the two never really entirely safe until they were side by side.

“I don’t like it,” Mingyu suddenly whines before Minghao can continue his question. Jumping up, Minghao bites his lip nervously before Mingyu’s other hand – the one that wasn’t preoccupied with his tail – came up to play with the hair at the nape of Minghao’s neck. Shivering from the contact (Mingyu always seemed to know where Minghao’s sensitive areas were), Minghao pokes Mingyu’s side, prompting him to elaborate.

“I can’t smell you,” Mingyu pouts, curling his larger and longer body around Minghao and stuffing his face into the cat hybrid’s hair. With his nose resting in the crook of Minghao’s ear and hair, Mingyu breathes in – but to no avail. The perfume had done wonders, and though it helped Minghao escape, it blocked Mingyu from clearly remembering what he smelled like.

“You don’t remember how I smell?” Minghao teases, reaching up to pinch Mingyu’s ear gently. The dog hybrid lets out a sharp whine, snuggling his face further into Minghao’s scalp. “That’s offensive. How could you forget me?”

“I didn’t!” Mingyu shoots up, sitting straight in order to stare at Minghao. Minghao looks up in surprise, tail flicking from side to side a bit dejectedly after Mingyu sat up.

“Calm down, I was just kidding,” Minghao waves his hands in front of him, trying to calm down what seemed to be a very distressed Mingyu.

“No, I didn’t forget you! I didn’t,” Mingyu bites his lip. “I remembered you Hao, every day. Every night, before I went to bed,” Mingyu frowns. “Wonwoo thought I was seriously sick when he first brought me home. It was, hard, you know,” Mingyu sniffles, playing with the blanket all of a sudden, unable to look Minghao in the eyes. “Falling asleep I mean. I was used to being beside you and having your scent all around, and I know – don’t even try to deny it – that you’d always make sure I was asleep first before you went to bed. It was stupid, how many hours of sleep did you lose because of that? You know what? Don’t answer that.” Mingyu shuffles a bit on the bed, rearranging his long limbs until he’s sitting closer to Minghao.

“And then when we ate, I kept grabbing more portions than I needed to. It was like muscle memory,” Mingyu whispers, ending off his sentence with a voice crack. There were tears in his eyes, probably remembering their time back at the shelter. It wasn’t bad, they hadn’t been abused or anything like that, but hybrid shelters were always severely underfunded. Not enough workers, no heating, and at times, too little food caused the hybrids to be extremely competitive. You were only allowed to get food once – no seconds, there just wasn’t enough to go around. And so Mingyu – being the bigger one – had always grabbed more and justified it with his height. Most of it however, was slipped onto Minghao’s plate when the cat hybrid wasn’t looking. Minghao was always the slender one, and though he ate as much as he could all the time, he never gained weight.

Junhui took him to the doctor once, a couple weeks after he had been adopted. Junhui was worried that Minghao didn’t seem to be gaining weight. At the doctors, they were told that yes, Minghao had a fast metabolism, but there might also have been some other reason. Years of being underfed had caused his body to be stuck like this. It didn’t really make sense in human terms, but hybrids were scientific exceptions to basically any rule. So Minghao just had to live with the fact that his body was always going to be a bit smaller than others. Though at least he wasn’t short.

“Hey,” Minghao sits up, crawling over to Mingyu before plopping down in his lap. “Don’t worry about it, that’s over now. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Mingyu sobs, the tears in his eyes finally spilling over. Biting his lip in worry and surprise, Minghao brings his sweater sleeve up to wipe at the tears, frantically wracking his brain over what Mingyu was apologizing. “I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry,” Mingyu repeats as Minghao whispers small noises in an attempt to console him.

“About what?” Minghao asks after Mingyu has somewhat calmed down. “You have nothing to apologize silly.”

“I do,” Mingyu insists. He grabs Minghao’s hands, forcing them to still, before bringing them to his mouth and kissing them softly. “I left you,” Mingyu whispers into them, eyes focused entirely on their slender form. “Wonwoo came to adopt me and I was so happy I forgot that we made a pact. I shouldn’t have gone away.”

“Stop that,” Minghao frowns. “It wasn’t your fault you were cute enough to be adopted,” Mingyu smiles a bit at that, “and Wonwoo,” Minghao pauses, shifting awkwardly before continuing, “isn’t at fault either.”

“You don’t like him,” Mingyu observes.

“He took you away,” Minghao replies dryly.

“I didn’t mean to,” Mingyu repeats, guilt written all over his face.

“It’s not your fault,” Minghao insists. “Listen here Mingyu, use those ears of yours and listen to what I have to say, loud and clear okay?” Mingyu nods, releasing Minghao’s hands to wipe at his eyes. “You did nothing wrong. That’s how the shelter works. Potential owners come in, look at the hybrids and if they decide they want one, they adopt. Hybrids don’t get a say in the matter really. And you _deserved_ it. We’ve been in that shelter for how long? Almost 10 years I think,” Minghao pauses, thinking back to the day he had first arrived, cold, hungry, and young. He had been just a child then, but his family had deserted him – or died, Minghao never really ever found out – and a police officer found him in the alleyway. By law the officer was obligated to take Minghao to the nearest hybrid shelter, and Minghao never held that man accountable, but his time at the shelter was not entirely pleasant.

“So it’s natural to feel happy about being adopted,” Minghao continues. “You had every right to go home with your new owner Mingyu. You shouldn’t have even thought about staying behind, nothing is worth that.”

“You are,” Mingyu’s arms stretch out again, and Minghao allows him pull himself into a hug. “You’re worth it Hao,” Mingyu hums, and Minghao can hear the vibrations through Mingyu’s chest.

“Regardless,” Minghao says, not bothering to argue with Mingyu on that. There was no way he was going to win that argument, and though Minghao was stubborn, Mingyu was even more so. “It all worked out didn’t it? You were adopted it, and so was I a couple months later.”

“But I _left_ you,” Mingyu replies, still distraught. “For _months_ to fend for yourself after everything you’ve done for me!” The dog hybrid begins to shake, getting more and more agitated with each word. “I’m so selfish,” Mingyu decides suddenly, breaking the hug. “I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve these cuddles, this bed, this house.”

“Mingyu wait, no,” Minghao starts, eyes wide at how frantic Mingyu was becoming.

“I don’t deserve _you_ ,” Mingyu stills, staring directly at Minghao before scrambling off the bed. The dog hybrid retreats to the corner of the room, closest to the door, and regards Minghao with a painful look on his face. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, clasping his hands together in front of him like small child.

“Mingyu,” Minghao starts, only for Mingyu to growl in response. Blinking in utter confusion, Minghao watches as Mingyu shakes his head vehemently.

“You,” Mingyu starts, wetting his lips. “No, I don’t deserve that, don’t call me by my name anymore.”

“This is ridiculous,” Minghao snaps, standing up. Mingyu shrinks back at that sound, pushing himself against the wall in an attempt to disappear. Minghao ignores Mingyu’s obvious discomfort, marching right on over to where the other boy was standing, before holding out a hand.

“Listen here you idiot,” Minghao commands, and Mingyu stops shaking. “I told you to listen to me before and did you? Huh? Did you?” Mingyu thinks for a moment, before deciding that Minghao probably wanted him to say no. He shakes his head. “Yeah, that’s right. You didn’t. I wasn’t finished, but you just cut me off, and went off on this weird little tangent of yours. Have you ever thought about what _I_ want Gyu? You don’t think you deserve me, and why is that?”

“Perfect,” Mingyu mumbles, slightly ashamed of himself now that his emotions weren’t so high. “You’re too perfect for me.”

“So I’m perfect huh?” Minghao crosses his arms across his chest. “Then, don’t you think, that a perfect person knows exactly what’s good for them?” Mingyu nods. “Then, by that logic,” Minghao pauses, regarding Mingyu with a smirk. “Don’t you think that if I – as a perfect person – think that you deserve me and are just what I need, then isn’t that true?”

“But–” Mingyu starts, eyebrows furrowing at Minghao’s logic.

“Nope,” Minghao pops the ‘p’. “This is no longer up for discussion.” Reaching forwards, Minghao grabs Mingyu’s hand in his before pulling him back into a hug. “Don’t ever beat yourself up over what happened okay? There was never really a chance that we’d be adopted together. So just count yourself lucky that I managed to find you.”

“Sorry,” Mingyu breathes out several moments later. “I’m saying that a lot today huh?” Mingyu laughs, though the sound is hollow and devoid of joy. “I just,” the dog hybrid frowns, ears drooping forwards. “I felt so guilty about it and then I kept putting off visiting the shelter because I thought you wouldn’t want to see me anymore. And then when I finally went you were gone and I though I had lost you forever.”

“Well I’m here now aren’t I?” Minghao smiles, and Mingyu nods enthusiastically, tail beginning to slowly wag from side to side. “You didn’t even let me ask my first question.”

“Oh,” Mingyu pauses, thinking back. “Whoops?”

“Stupid,” Minghao rolls his eyes good naturedly. “Anyways, what were you doing up so late? It was really early in the morning when I got here.”

“Oh,” Mingyu says again, this time quieter. He looks down, before raising his eyes back up to look at Minghao. The dog hybrid’s eyes trail up and down the other’s body, before Mingyu smiles. “I had a bad dream. Uh, I was still hung up over the fact that I might never see you again and it’s been manifesting itself in my dreams. Imagine my surprise when I looked up from my brooding to see you at the windowsill! It was like something out of a movie. The moonlight was hitting your back so I couldn’t really see your face but I knew it was you.”

“You flatter me,” Minghao flushes slightly at Mingyu’s conviction. “Well, I’m here – like I’ve said so many times before. So your dreams should be nightmare-free from now on.” Grinning at the dog hybrid, Minghao pulls the other forwards and out of the bedroom. “In any case, I’m hungry and you said you were working on your cooking skills?”

 

 

 

Mingyu had always been good at cooking, Minghao knew that. Whenever they were allowed in the kitchen during free time (which was very rare), Mingyu would be able to whip together a fantastic snack with whatever he found in the cupboards. And now, with a proper kitchen and equipment as well as a fully stocked (kind of, Minghao shouldn’t judge because Junhui ordered takeout almost as much as he breathed but it wasn’t like Wonwoo’s fridge was bursting at the seams) pantry, Mingyu was a miracle worker.

“This,” Minghao licks his spoon clean as his tail waves slowly behind him in pleasure, “is quite possibly the best thing I’ve eaten this month.”

“Thanks,” Mingyu smiles, taking Minghao’s plate away from him – despite the other protesting because he hadn’t finished licking the plate clean – before he begins to wash the dishes. Minghao on the other hand, flops forwards onto the table, cheek pressed against the cool fake wood, and watches with hooded eyes as Mingyu shuffles back and forth. It was almost domestic, how at home Mingyu seemed in that kitchen, and Minghao had a vague notion that he’d have to invite him over to where he lived some time. Sure, this kitchen was decent, but for some reason Junhui kept receiving state of the art kitchen equipment from his parents as presents (probably in hopes that their son would learn to cook something more than cereal) and it was just sitting in the penthouse, collecting dust. No doubt Mingyu would have a heart attack at the chance to use them.

“So, what now?” Minghao perks up at the question as Mingyu turns the tap off and wipes his hands clean. The dog hybrid shuffles over to Minghao, grinning easily as the other sniffs at the sudden closeness in proximity, and tilts his head to the side. “It’s up to you, I already chose.”

“What did you choose?” Minghao asks in lieu of an answer. “I don’t remember you saying we should do anything.”

“I made you sleep,” Mingyu holds up one finger. “And then we cuddled, so I already picked out two activities for us.”

“I said we should eat,” Minghao points out.

“Then you’ve got one more activity to pick before we’re even,” Mingyu smiles, and Minghao sighs in response. Mingyu always had this thing with making Minghao pick things. It’s not that Mingyu was indecisive, it’s more that he just liked to do whatever Minghao wanted to do. Honestly, if you asked Minghao, the cat hybrid would awkwardly tell you that Mingyu probably had some sort of kink with pleasing people.

“I don’t know,” Minghao frowns, giving up on making Mingyu decide. “What’s there to do? Can we go out?”

“Uh,” Mingyu scratches the back of his head. “We could, maybe, but I’d have to tell Wonwoo and he’ll wonder why because I don’t usually leave the house unless I’m with someone – and I can’t really tell him I’m with you. Actually wait, I could, but then I’d have to explain how you got to the house and why he’s never heard of you before and that could potentially be confusing and–”

“Got it, let’s stay here,” Minghao rolls his eyes before Mingyu could work himself into a frenzy. The taller boy merely flushes, smiling in embarrassment at Minghao, before sitting down on the spot across from him.

“Do you have cards?” Mingyu nods slowly at the question, before understanding makes its way onto his face.

“I’m going to wreck you,” Mingyu smirks, racing into Wonwoo’s room to receive what Minghao could only assume was a pack of cards. The dog hybrid runs back out – just as quickly as he had gone in – and waves the red and white packaging triumphantly. Sitting back down, Mingyu slides the cards out of the box and hands them to Minghao to shuffle – the other hybrid, with his slender and flexible fingers, was always better at dealing than Mingyu was.

“You’ve been practicing?” Minghao asks, though it stands as more of a challenge than anything. After finishing shuffling, Minghao separates the cards into two decks within seconds. Waiting for Mingyu to choose one, Minghao takes the other and prepares his side of the table.

“Of course,” Mingyu grins. “Wonwoo is way to slow at this game, he’s never won against me.”

“Doesn’t mean you’ll beat me though,” Minghao remarks, setting his deck – now with less cards in it – in the middle of the table. Mingyu finishes soon after, and places his own deck parallel to Minghao’s. “You still remember the rules?”

“Are you kidding me?” Mingyu quirks an eyebrow. “We played Speed every day back at the shelter. I could recite the rules in my sleep.”

“Alright, alright, just asking,” Minghao laughs. “A little bit of formalities here and there isn’t going to kill anyone.”

“Yeah but you just might when I win this game,” Mingyu replies, cracking his knuckles.

“Trash talk? A new strategy,” Minghao narrows his eyes. “Won’t work though, it never does.”

“Whatever, let’s get started,” Mingyu reaches forwards to his deck. As Minghao does the same, the two hybrids stare intently at each other before flipping the cards over at the same time. With a flurry of movements, the two passionately begin to pile cards on top of each other.

Minghao is faster, that’s for sure, he’s a flurry of slender limbs and precise movements. With his nimble fingers he manages to flip cards faster than Mingyu, but it seems like while Minghao is all skill, Mingyu has Lady Luck on his side. Every card he flips over works, whether it be an 8, a king, or an ace, Mingyu has a card no matter what. Unlike Minghao who stalls every so often, Mingyu’s hands never rest. Placing a 2 on top of the ace, following quickly by a 3, a 4, and another 3, Mingyu ends up with his last card faster than Minghao.

“You rigged this deck,” Minghao glares at the single card in Mingyu’s hand, trying to figure out what it was. He himself currently had three more cards, also collected in his hand so Mingyu couldn’t see them, and was readying himself to flip over the next card from the deck – seeing as neither could play on what was already on the field.

“I did not,” Mingyu smirks. “You shuffled.”

“Irrelevant,” Minghao insists.

“You’re just mad I’m going to win,” Mingyu grins victoriously just as Minghao and him flip over the next card. Mingyu’s eyes narrow onto the 9 Minghao had just flipped over, the 8 in his hand shaking slightly in his excitement, but just as he moves to place it on top, Minghao slips a 10 underneath Mingyu’s hand, effectively placing it down before Mingyu’s own card.

“Cheater!” Mingyu accuses, standing up and practically throwing his card onto the table. Minghao merely smirks in response, though he can’t play anything else, and shrugs.

“You’re just mad I’m going to win,” Minghao taunts, grinning when Mingyu’s face gets redder in anger. “I told you before remember? There’s no fairness in the game of Speed.”

“Yeah but we also agreed before that you couldn’t slide your hand underneath someone else’s! That’s just dirty!” Mingyu points at his card before jabbing his finger at Minghao’s 10.

“I moved faster than you, you placed your hand above mine,” Minghao explains, “now hurry and sit down so I can beat you.”

“Not before you admit you cheated and take back this stupid 10!” Mingyu whines, stomping his feet like a child. Minghao almost laughs at the action, before remembering that he’s supposed to be somewhat mad. Before Minghao can say anything however, the door opens and both hybrids look up in shock and slight fear as Wonwoo and Junhui walk in.

“I told you he’d be here,” Junhui says, looking directly at Minghao as Wonwoo awkwardly kicks the ground and nods. The Chinese male is noticeably stressed, with unruly hair, rumpled clothes, and a slightly panicked look in his eyes. His skin seems sickly as well, something Minghao usually only sees on him when he hasn’t slept in weeks in order to finish a design, and Junhui looks like he’s about to drop dead any second now.

“I never said I doubted you,” Wonwoo mumbles, looking up a bit to stare at Mingyu, who shifts awkwardly under Wonwoo’s slightly disappointed gaze. The dog hybrid’s ears are pressed close to his scalp, and Mingyu is torn between hiding and protecting Minghao and apologizing to Wonwoo.

“Junhui?” Minghao speaks first, standing up and staring at his owner, cards left on the table to be forgotten. “What are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Junhui replies flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you know,” Junhui sighs, “that the neighbours underneath us, the ones living at 1004, have a hybrid?” Eyes widening at the information, Minghao gulps nervously, thinking back to the person that had come after him before. “Yeah, maybe you did,” Junhui narrows his eyes. “Anyways, they came up to me at six in the morning, _six_ , to tell me that someone from upstairs had been snooping around their apartment. Said their hybrid saw someone at the door but couldn’t trace their scent. Isn’t that weird Minghao?”

“Could be,” Minghao replies, voice even. He feels Mingyu stare at him worriedly, though the taller hybrid seemed to shrink behind Minghao, hiding from the withering looks Wonwoo and Junhui were giving them. Minghao is suddenly reminded then, of when they were younger. When the other hybrids at the shelter made fun of Mingyu because they were scared. Mingyu had always been a cute and attractive puppy, and all the other hybrids knew that if anyone were to be adopted, it would be him. So they bullied him, teased him and made fun of him – sometimes even getting physical – before soon enough, Mingyu lost his playful nature and shrunk away from visitors. It wasn’t until Minghao came along, in all of his protectively violent glory, that Mingyu started to regain his confidence.

Because it was Minghao who chased away his attackers. Minghao, the quiet, soft-spoken hybrid who had been the newest addition to the shelter, immediately zoned in on the tall yet hunched hybrid sitting in the corner of the room even though everyone else was running around trying to attract attention towards themselves. And though Minghao was significantly smaller and thinner than Mingyu, the cat hybrid also had his reflexes and sharp tongue on his side. Soon enough, after a couple battles and scars – both mentally and physically – Minghao had sent Mingyu’s bullies running. The damage they had done was long lasting, for though they had disappeared, Mingyu still shrunk away from newcomers. The only person he ever talked to or was comfortable with was Minghao, and Minghao was perfectly fine with that.

The cat hybrid didn’t like other people much either, and had pretty much zero hopes of being adopted. He was cute, sure, but he was also grumpy most of the time. No one wanted a moody cat hybrid, even one that was cute. In addition, Minghao didn’t get along with most people, he was too outspoken, too brash and blunt. He meant well, most of the time, but Minghao’s sharp tongue stopped any potential owners from adopting him after they got into a conversation. And so the two hybrids stayed close to each other, supporting and relying on one another, and were determined to do so until they could leave the shelter at eighteen.

At least, that’s what they thought. Eventually however, they figured out that destiny always has different plans, and Mingyu was adopted by Wonwoo a couple months before his eighteenth birthday. Minghao was taken in by Junhui soon after, and it had been almost two years since they last saw each other – which was why, though he felt bad about Junhui’s current state of exhaustion, Minghao wasn’t going to budge from his spot.

“Hao,” Junhui sighs, uncrossing his arms and hunching forwards slightly. “It can’t be a coincidence, I don’t think, that I found an empty bedroom and the scentless perfume bottle outside my door _right_ after some neighbours told me that they couldn’t track a hybrid’s scent.”

“Okay,” Minghao huffs, ignoring how Wonwoo is still looking between the two hybrids. “So I used your perfume and left the penthouse. You never said I couldn’t.”

“I would have liked to know,” Junhui frowns. “I don’t know about you Hao, but I don’t particularly fancy waking up to an empty apartment. You didn’t leave me a note or anything! How was I supposed to know what happened to you?” Minghao lowers his head at that, ears pressing again his hair as he picks up the genuine distress and worry in Junhui’s voice.

“And besides Minghao,” Junhui’s voice softens at Minghao’s response. “You broke and entered someone’s house, you’re lucky Wonwoo ssi isn’t going to press charges. You should know better than this.”

“I _do_ know better than that,” Minghao insists, head raising up again as Junhui steps closer. “And I know that Mingyu would never go home with someone who would press charges against me.” Minghao holds his head up high, staring, first at Wonwoo until the other human shrugs in acceptance, before turning to look at Junhui. “And Jun,” Minghao’s mouth sets itself into a firm line. “You’re impossible to wake up once you sleep, and I know you needed to get rest. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Bother me?” Junhui lets out a sharp laugh. “Minghao I’ve been up and looking for you since _six in the morning_. If anything this has bothered me more than anything else this year – and I had to deal with horrendous back order of silk last month.” Minghao snorts at the memory, though it hadn’t been particularly funny at the time, before Junhui steps in front of him and pets his head gently.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him before?” Junhui inquires, eyes ghosting over Minghao’s head to stare at Mingyu.

“I don’t know,” Minghao replies honestly, he shuffles a bit, nuzzling into Junhui’s hand, before stopping when he hears Mingyu lowly growling behind him.

“Mingyu,” Minghao warns, shifting slightly to stare at the dog hybrid. Mingyu’s growls do stop, but he remains glaring at Junhui, who merely stares back at him in amusement. “Anyways,” Minghao turns back around, ignoring the tension between the two. “How did you find me?”

“I looked all around the block,” Junhui admits. “And I couldn’t find you, by then I decided that I needed to get as much information as I could so I went back to 1004 and asked them if they knew anything. They didn’t really tell me much but before I left their apartment I saw they had a certificate, the same one I got when I adopted you, so I talked to them about it. Apparently, the hybrid there, Jisoo ssi I think his name was? Well he’s adopted from the same shelter you were. In fact,” Junhui pauses, no doubt for dramatic effect, and Minghao resists the urge to smack him.

“Jisoo ssi knew another hybrid that was also adopted from the same shelter. Coincidentally _that_ hybrid’s owner had referred Jisoo ssi’s owner to said shelter when he said he wanted to get a hybrid. Can you kind of tell where I’m going with this?” Junhui asks, and Minghao nods. “Well, I’m going to keep telling the story anyways.”

“Of course you are,” Minghao laughs a bit. “You’re an attention whore.”

“Hey!” Junhui pouts when he hears Wonwoo chuckle a bit at the remark. “I resent that.”

“Junhui ssi I’ve known you for maybe four hours now and even I agree with that,” Wonwoo speaks up for the first time since he entered the room – well, his own house to be specific – and Minghao is shocked at the velvety sound. No wonder Mingyu liked him so much, Minghao thought with a twinge of envy (Minghao’s own voice was a bit too high for his liking). Wonwoo’s voice was as soothing as a warm bed, and Minghao could only guess at how much comfort it brought Mingyu when Minghao wasn’t there.

“Anyways,” Junhui turns away from Wonwoo and Minghao shakes himself out of his own thoughts. “So, I went to the shelter and asked them for information about one Kim Mingyu or a Jeon Wonwoo,” Junhui continues. “And lo and behold, after telling them about you, one of the shelter workers started telling me this grand story about how cats and dogs _do_ get along. So, by then I figured out that there was a high chance of you being here. I talked to the worker and asked them for Wonwoo ssi’s information, but all they had was a phone number – apparently, they moved before?” Junhui turns around to glare at Wonwoo for some reason, and the other male merely shrugs, seemingly disinterested with the whole situation. Mingyu still seems at edge though, so Minghao gets the feeling that Wonwoo’s anger was more like ice than the fiery one of Junhui’s.

“Yeah, so I called him and explained the situation over lunch and then we came here,” Junhui finishes. He takes a deep breath of air, leaning into Minghao’s side. Minghao frowns at that, noting how Junhui looked like he was going to stumble and fall if he was to move, before turning to look at Mingyu and Wonwoo.

“So what now?” Minghao asks. He stares at Mingyu, the two silently exchanging words, before Minghao focuses on Wonwoo. “I’m sorry for breaking into your house,” Minghao bows, though with some difficulty since Junhui is still using his shoulder for support. “Though technically Mingyu let me in so does that still count?”

“Minghao!” Junhui says sharply, though his voice is so tired there’s barely any bite to it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wonwoo sighs, looking at Mingyu before shaking his head affectionately. “I actually knew about you before Minghao ssi,” Wonwoo admits. “The worker at the shelter pointed you out when I adopted Mingyu, but unfortunately the papers had already gone through at that point and I only had enough money to adopt one hybrid. I kept an eye out for you, telling the centre to notify me if you ever got adopted, but when I moved houses I guess that note got lost too.”

“I was actually trying to get Jeonghan hyung to adopt you at first,” Wonwoo says sheepishly. “I had had Mingyu for a little over a year by then but he was still kind of off – no offense. When I referred him to the shelter though, Jeonghan hyung said you were gone and he came back with Jisoo hyung instead. I felt really guilty about that,” Wonwoo confesses, wringing his hands together. “I didn’t know if I should tell Mingyu or not but he found out eventually too. Things got kind of worse after that, so I took him to visit Jeonghan hyung and Jisoo hyung, let him make some friends, and he seemed okay for a while.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to be living literally right above them though,” Wonwoo smiles softly, nose crinkling in amusement and Minghao decides right then and there that though he didn’t think Wonwoo would ever be able to take care of Mingyu in the same way Minghao did, he’d be a half-decent replacement.

“And that’s that,” Junhui yawns. “I have Wonwoo ssi’s contact information now so you can come on over here whenever you want – as long as you tell me first.” Junhui glares at Minghao, but the younger boy merely pushes him off his shoulder, causes Junhui to stumble and lose the intimidating look in his eyes.

“You can go over there too Mingyu,” Wonwoo finally moves from his place near the door. The slender male – Minghao notes with a raised eyebrow, maybe Mingyu had a type…? – walks over to Mingyu and pats the taller male on the head, not unlike what Junhui had done to Minghao earlier. “They live just above Jeonghan hyung, and they have the whole floor to themselves apparently. At least now we finally know the identity of the mysteriously rich and handsome bachelor who roams the top floors of Jeonghan hyung’s building.”

“I like that,” Junhui declares. “Makes me sound cool and stuff.”

“Too bad you’re really not,” Minghao replies, causing Junhui to pout. Mingyu notes _this_ with a raised eyebrow, thinking back to how he himself was prone to whining and pouting, and wonders idly whether Minghao had a type or not.

“Hey,” Junhui swirls around, not unlike a drunken man. “You’re still being punished for this.” Raising an eyebrow at the threat, Minghao sighs as Junhui tries to stabilize himself by grasping at thin air.

“You know, it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re acting like you’re high off your mind,” Wonwoo speaks up from his spot next to Mingyu.

“Shut up,” Junhui whines, pout intensifying before his face returns to a serious expression. “I’m not kidding Hao, you’re grounded. For two weeks, no leaving the penthouse and _no visitors_ ,” Junhui stresses, throwing a look at Mingyu.

“ _No_!” Mingyu shouts, and Junhui’s eyes widen in surprise at the statement. Mingyu suddenly lunges forwards, more active than he had been the entire encounter, and snatches Minghao into his arms in one move. Backing away from Junhui and Wonwoo, Mingyu nuzzles his face into Minghao’s neck and encircles the other’s waist with his arms.

“Mingyu!” Minghao and Wonwoo say in unison, and though Mingyu enjoys how their voices somehow harmonize together, the dog hybrid refuses to listen to either of them.

“What are you doing?” Junhui narrows his eyes, voice taking on a more dominant and assertive tone. Minghao shivers at the sound, causing Mingyu to hug him harder.

“He’s not leaving,” Mingyu announces easily, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from Wonwoo. “This is the first time in two years I’ve seen Minghao, there’s no way I’m letting him go for another _two weeks_ without even being able to _smell_ him.”

“Is that what this is about?” Minghao sighs, ignoring the confused look on Junhui’s and Wonwoo’s faces. Turning around with great difficulty, Mingyu looks down at Minghao as the cat hybrid’s tail moves to caress Mingyu’s arms lovingly. “Mingyu,” Minghao leans in, voice dropping in volume so only Mingyu’s more sensitive ears could catch his words. “It’s okay, we can talk over text,” Mingyu starts, but is cut off as Mingyu shakes his head wildly.

“Stop being childish,” Minghao frowns, causing Mingyu to stop. “You’re going to make me mad Mingyu.”

“No,” Mingyu says, albeit weaker this time. “I,” Mingyu falters, grip loosening. “I don’t want you to go. I can’t even _smell_ you.”

“Hey,” Minghao calls softly as Mingyu’s eyes glisten. The other hybrid seems almost at a loss. “Mingyu, you can’t make me choose, please don’t,” Minghao’s tail slows in it’s caressing, but continues to provide Mingyu with support. “You mean the world to me, you know that,” Mingyu sniffles before nodding slightly. “But Junhui has been there for me too. He got me out of that place Mingyu, and he’s really taken care of me. Even if you don’t like it, it’s happened – just like you and Wonwoo. He’s practically my family now Mingyu, and he’s staying whether you like it or not, might as well get used to him.”

“You don’t like Wonwoo either,” Mingyu rebuttals, though it’s a weak argument.

“I don’t,” Minghao replies dryly, causing Mingyu to laugh a bit. “But I’ve accepted that he’s going to do a decent job at keeping you alive. I mean, he has to be doing something right considering you’re still as immature as always.”

“Hey,” Mingyu complains feebly.

“Hey,” Minghao teases. “But listen, you can survive this, we’ve been waiting for each other – oh gosh this sounds so dramatic – for two years now. We can wait a bit longer right?”

“I don’t want to,” Mingyu sniffles, leaning his forehead against Minghao’s.

“I’ll see you in two weeks Mingyu,” Minghao head butts Mingyu’s chest lightly, before he lifts himself onto his tiptoes and nuzzles his nose against Mingyu’s. Stepping back and making sure Mingyu wasn’t going to do anything crazy again, Minghao walks back over to Junhui and jokingly raises his arms so that his wrists were pressed together. “I’m ready to go to jail now.”

“Wow, didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff,” Junhui snickers. “Kinky.”

“Come on,” Minghao rolls his eyes and drops his hands. “You’re about to die of exhaustion, how many hours of sleep have you gotten in the last few days?”

“Like, maybe five hours in total within the last week or so,” Junhui shrugs, as if it were no big deal. Wonwoo on the other hand, gasps loudly as his jaw drops. “It’s not as bad as when we went to Milan and I had to work three days straight without sleep.”

“Milan?” Wonwoo repeats, head spinning. “Wait, where were you yesterday?”

“Japan,” Junhui replies easily as Minghao begins dragging him out the door.

“Wonwoo speaks Japanese,” Mingyu offers randomly, eyes glued on Minghao’s retreating form.

“Really now? Maybe we should bond over that sometime,” Junhui smirks, eyeing Wonwoo with a renewed interest. “Over coffee or something. Another lunch date maybe? I’ll call you.”

“Thanks for having us,” Minghao calls over his shoulder without even batting an eyelash at Junhui’s flirty ways. The two exit the apartment as Wonwoo splutters at the comment, and are soon walking home. By the time Junhui presses the code to open the penthouse door, Minghao has to practically carry him into his bedroom. Fluffing the pillows as Junhui merely strips his clothes off and collapses back into bed in his boxers, Minghao tucks the human in.

“Hey Jun?” Minghao speaks up just before the elder can escape to dreamland.

“Hm?” Junhui responds, eyes opening again to look at Minghao. The cat hybrid waits a bit to make sure Junhui was actually conscious before continuing.

“Can we send a package? Or maybe you’d like to deliver it yourself?” Minghao asks.

“Where to? And what is it?” Junhui yawns.

“One of my sweaters maybe,” Minghao says shyly, ducking his head when Junhui sits up a bit, eyes piquing with interest. “For Mingyu.”

“Huh,” Junhui smirks. “So he can smell you? That’s cute,” Junhui laughs when Minghao blushes, throwing a pillow in his direction. Junhui lets the object smack him in the face, the thing was too fluffy to hurt anyways. “I can do that for you. I’ll bring it over when I take Wonwoo ssi out for lunch again.”

“Who said he was going to go out with you again hm?” Minghao retorts, trying to calm the blush on his face. Junhui doesn’t respond to that, so Minghao crawls over to his owner, and chuckles lightly when he realizes Junhui was passed out, face squashed between the pillow underneath him and the one that Minghao thrown.

“Idiot,” Minghao shakes his head in awe. The cat hybrid looks over his shoulder, at the door leading out of Junhui’s bedroom, before deciding it was too much of a hassle to get back to his own room. Reaching over, Minghao rummages through one of Junhui’s many cupboards and slips into a fresh pair of the human’s sweatpants and t-shirt. Idly wondering how mad Mingyu would be if he ever found out Minghao liked to steal Junhui’s sweaters, Minghao slips under the covers and curls into a ball beside Junhui.

“An idiot,” Minghao repeats, staring at Junhui’s face. His eyes close slightly, and soon, Minghao is seeing Mingyu’s face lying beside him instead. “Idiots,” Minghao’s eyes widen at the clarification. Sighing happily, Minghao snuggles into the blanket and shakes his head in amusement. “The only two important people in my life are idiots. Maybe I do have a type.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story idea has been in my head for so long I've been writing this on and off for 2 months now and it's just so liberating so have it finished- Also yes, Gyu is so whipped for Hao it's hilarious and I personally love this idea so I'm rolling with it.
> 
> Also I didn't know how to really connect the middle to the ending I had in mind so I decided to write like 1000 words of GyuHao playing Speed because that is one of my favourite card games and it was WAR when I played it at school with my friends.
> 
>   
> Hope you're smiling!  
> 
> 
>   
> ~ alateni  
> 


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